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Cardamine concatenata

cut-leaved toothwort

Brassicaceae North America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies

Native to North America

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Cardamine concatenata is a spring-ephemeral perennial in the mustard family, growing 8-15 inches (20-38 cm) tall from a segmented, tuber-like white rhizome. A whorl of usually three stem leaves, each deeply cut into three to five narrow, coarsely toothed segments, sits midway up the stem and gives the plant its common name. In early spring it bears a loose cluster of four-petaled flowers 0.5-0.7 inch (12-18 mm) across, white to pale pink, opening before the forest canopy leafs out. The whole plant dies back to the rhizome by early summer, vanishing until the following spring. It grows in rich, moist deciduous woodland on neutral to slightly acidic soil and spreads slowly into colonies where conditions stay cool and undisturbed. The brief above-ground season means foliage is present only in spring and the ground lies bare later in the year. Seed set is sporadic, and most spread is by the brittle rhizome segments, which fragment readily.

Native Range

Native to eastern North America, from Quebec and Ontario south to Georgia and west to Minnesota and Louisiana. It grows in moist deciduous woodland and floodplain forest over rich, often calcareous soil.

Suggested Uses

Planted in shaded woodland and native plant gardens for early spring color, spaced 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) apart. It naturalizes into drifts beneath deciduous trees over time. The early flowers supply nectar for emerging bees and other spring pollinators.

How to Identify

Recognized by a whorl of about three deeply cut, coarsely toothed stem leaves and four-petaled white to pale-pink flowers in early spring. The segmented, white, tuber-like rhizome is sharp-tasting and breaks into bead-like sections. It resembles C. diphylla but has narrower, more deeply divided leaflets and stem leaves in a whorl of three rather than a pair.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 1'3"

Width/Spread6" - 1'

Colors

Flower Colors

white

pink

Foliage Colors

green

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~3 weeks

Spring

Flowers open from March to May, among the earliest woodland blooms, and last two to three weeks. By late spring the petals drop and slender seed pods form. The plant withers entirely by early summer.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

White to pale pink

Foliage Description

Green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Requires 2-6 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam silt clay

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years to form colonies

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in part to full shade in moist, humus-rich, neutral to slightly acidic soil. It needs the cool, damp conditions of deciduous woodland and the leaf litter that builds organic matter. Plants are hardy to about -30F (-34C) in zones 4-8 and require no winter protection. Because growth finishes before summer, the species pairs with later-emerging perennials that fill the gap it leaves. Soil should stay moist through the spring growth period but may dry once the plant is dormant. No feeding is needed in a woodland setting.

Pruning

No pruning is required. The foliage yellows and collapses on its own in early summer and can be left to decompose in place. Marking the location reduces the risk of disturbing the dormant rhizomes during summer cultivation.

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic